Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Breast-Cancer Rates in Britain Drop to New Low; Walnut Remedy?



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Today 2:25 pm

By The Staff at wowOwow.com


Do the Brits know something we don’t when it comes to preventing breast-cancer deaths?

New research out of the UK shows that the number of women dying from breast cancer has fallen to a record low — under 12,000 a year — for the first time since 1971, BBC reports. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in the UK, affecting 45,500 women every year; one in nine women will develop the disease.

"It’s incredibly encouraging to see fewer women dying from breast cancer now than at any time in the last 40 years, despite breast cancer being diagnosed more often," said Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, professor Peter Johnson.

This is great news, especially given that over the past 25 years, there has been a steep increase in the number of patients diagnosed with cancer, thanks to obesity, binge drinking and women having children later in life, notes The Daily Telegraph. The use of hormone replacement therapy to alleviate menopause symptoms and a graying population have also caused a spike in diagnoses. Here in 2008 in the United States, 182,460 more females were diagnosed with the disease, and 40,480 died from it. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 12.7 percent of women born today — or one in eight — will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. Women ages 40-49 have a 1-in-69-percent chance of getting breast cancer; those ages 50-59 have a 1-in-38-percent chance, and those ages 60-69 have a 1-in-27-percent chance.

Hoping to keep this disease at bay? You may have another way to do it: Eat more walnuts! New research out this week shows that walnuts may help. It turns out that compounds in the nut — omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols — have been proven to reduce incidence of breast tumors in mice.

"Walnuts are better than cookies, French fries or potato chips when you need a snack," said Elaine Hardman, associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine. "We know that a healthy diet overall prevents all manner of chronic disease."
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